Nonviolence As A Way Of Life.Everything you do has an impact on other people, on the planet and on the animals with whom you share the world. Living Nonviolence as a way of life means making the connections -- making the right choices so that your impact is in line with your moral values.

Nearly all the problems in the world today stem from the fact that people have forgotten who they really are. Nonviolence offers direction so you can remember who you are and act in a reconnected way. It’s a win-win way of living -- you’ll build a better life for you and a better world for everyone.

Being aware and aligned with your values makes you conscious, complete and more powerful. And when millions of conscious, empowered people join together through Nonviolence, it will create a movement the likes of which the world has never seen.

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”
- Mohandas Gandhi

Nonviolence works toward long-lasting, uplifting change where everyone is involved in building a better society.

Nonviolence values the life and liberty of all.

Nonviolence is available to everyone. You don’t need big muscles or guns or money to use Nonviolence. Nonviolence brings power back to the people… where it belongs.

Nonviolence honors truth. There is no need for secrets or lies. Our purposes are clear, our motives are clear, and our methods are clear and announced.

Nonviolence connects you to everyone -- you are never alone.

Nonviolence cannot be marginalized. And if it is co-opted by the opponent, everyone still wins.

"... violence is a method by which the ruthless few can subdue the passive many.
Nonviolence is a means by which the active many can overcome the ruthless few."- Jonathan Schell, The Unconquerable World

Why Nonviolence As A Way Of Life Is The Strategy.
Traditional Nonviolence tactics have been studied and marginalized by those who control by force, disconnection and violence. Our marches and speeches are ignored by the corporate-owned media. Our letters are ignored and our emails are deleted. We are even forced into “free speech zones” where we can be more easily ignored and controlled.

But Nonviolence isn’t just holding up signs in protest on weekends and then going back to life as usual. In order for Nonviolence to work, it must have strategy, planning and a real effect that will bring about change in the opponent or replace the unjust system entirely.

Nonviolence United advocates a form of Nonviolence that is built on strategy and has a direct effect regardless of the opponent’s conscience or their willingness to change -- Nonviolence as a way of life. We can build a world reflective of our values only when we consume consciously and live our lives consistently with our values. It’s that simple.

"Our nettlesome task is to discover how to organize our
strength into compelling power so that government cannot elude our demands."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Why Now?
There isn’t time for philosophical reflections or elitist throwing of crumbs. People are starving right now. Animals are suffering right now. The planet is struggling to breathe right now. So, it’s time for revolutionary change… right now.

We can’t wait and hope that the next election will save us. We can’t hope that someone in the future will have the common sense or scientific genius to save us from our actions and make up for our mistakes. We must take responsibility for our actions and align them with our hearts and our hopes. Only in this way will we build a future of justice, kindness and sustainability.

"We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history there is such a thing as being too late... We still have a choice today; Nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

What They Don't Want You To Know -- Nonviolence Works!
Why don't we hear of the triumphs of Nonviolence -- the "people power" that tumbles oppressive regimes? Why don’t we hear about the “Velvet Revolution” in Czechoslovakia, the “Orange Revolution” in the Ukraine, the dismantling of the Soviet Union, the dethroning of oppression in the Philippines, in East Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, in Latin America?

All over the world lasting, positive change is the result not of trillion-dollar armies, but of Nonviolent people power. Why don’t we hear about these remarkable revolutions? The information blackout is no accident. Perhaps we don’t learn about Nonviolent revolution because… it works!

Nonviolent people power can change the world. That’s a scary thought for the miniscule minority hanging on for dear life to the helm of power.

For a group to remain in power without representing the true will of the people, they must maintain power by manipulation and by force -- military force -- a worldwide police state. This is why some of the most out-of-touch and top-heavy governments in the world have to maintain and use an over-the-top show of force.

What if the secret got out? What if people knew that Nonviolence works? What if they knew that they didn’t need big muscles and guns and the inhumanity to use them? What if people stopped giving their power away to the oppressor? What if the power suddenly shifted back to the people?

It would mean the creation of a world reflective of the values of the people. And for the most part, those values (truth, justice, freedom, kindness, compassion, goodwill toward people, toward the planet and toward animals, etc.) are good. What an amazing world this could be… and it could happen practically overnight if we organized around our values.

"We are convinced that non-violence is more powerful than violence. We are convinced that non-violence supports you if you have a just and moral cause...If you use violence, you have to sell part of yourself for that violence. Then you are no longer a master of your own struggle."
- Cesar Chavez

What Is violence?
We may be disconnected and have forgotten that we all share the Earth; that we breathe the same air and drink the same water; that we have the same emotions, needs and desires; that we all want to be free and to be happy.

We may be disconnected from ourselves about what happiness truly is, the difference between needs and desires, knowing when enough is enough, and knowing how to have discipline over our words and actions.

In a nutshell... violence is an expression of our disconnection.

*A minor note: You may notice that, regardless of where it falls in a sentence, we always capitalize the word "Nonviolence." This is not a mistake -- it is simply a way of lending power to the word. It's also a bit of a self-meditation while writing -- a way of drawing attention to it, a way of honoring it. At the same time, we try to never capitalize the word "violence" even when it starts a sentence… as in the following. "violence is obsolete." Again, just our simple way of disempowering the word.

violence Takes Many Forms.We’re so immersed in outright physical violence (war, terrorism, domestic violence, child abuse, robbery, rape, murder, drug wars, and so much more) that sometimes we may not recognize the other rampant violence of racism, militarism, speciesism, poverty and materialism.

If we ignore these violent acts or dismiss them, we’re giving permission to the oppressors to carry on business as usual. It’s not only wrong to inflict violence, it is also wrong to turn a blind eye to violence or to support the violators with our dollars, our votes and our actions.

"Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good."
- Mohandas Gandhi

Examples Of violence Against Society. Materialism and over-consumption. If someone has too much, then someone else is going without. Or as Gandhi explained, “If you have more than you need, you are stealing from someone else.” This involves a disconnection from the resources being used, from the needs of those in the future, from one’s fellow humans who are in need, and disconnection from oneself and what happiness really means.

Consuming unsustainable resources. Using resources that cannot be renewed depletes the Earth and results in suffering and want for people now and in the future. Again, this represents a disconnection from the impact of our choices.

Propaganda. Unethical and unthinking industries purposefully disconnect you from your values, your choices and the consequences of your choices. These industries use multibillion-dollar marketing campaigns to confuse you into consuming more and more things that are not in line with your true values.

Militarism. This disconnection from our brothers and sisters with whom we share the world along with the unjust belief that “might makes right” kills innocent people, kills innocent animals, destroys our environment and wastes trillions of dollars worldwide -- money and resources that could be used to feed, clothe, house and heal those in need.

"It is no longer the choice between violence and Nonviolence;
it is either Nonviolence or nonexistence."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Racism. The unjust belief that race determines human character and that one person is superior to another based on skin color or heritage perpetuates hatred, separation and wars rather than promoting brotherhood, sisterhood and community. Disconnection from our similarities -- that we all want to be free and happy -- leads to oppression and death in so many ways.

Speciesism. This is the unjust belief that human beings and their companion animals are the only living beings with feelings, desires and worth. This disconnection causes us to love one species while dismissing (and even killing and eating) another. It results in untold horrors for helpless animals who rely entirely on human intellect and compassion for protection. This violence leads to the acceptance of other violence against those who are different than us -- humans and non-humans.

Pollution. This disconnection results in the contamination of our shared resources (earth, air and water). It deprives and harms ourselves, other people and wild animals of present and future generations of a world with clean air, clean water, good health and the majesty of nature.

Why violence Doesn't Lead To A Better Society.There may be some people who are still skeptical of Nonviolence. They may not yet understand its power or its core principle that a connected society is a just society. Maybe they think violence might hurry things along. Some may even think, “Sure, you do Nonviolence and I’ll do violence… together we’d be a great team because people will be afraid of me and then they’ll negotiate with you.” It doesn’t work that way. When you are perceived as part of a movement and you are violent, the movement is perceived as violent regardless of the ratio of violence to Nonviolence.

Nonviolence is like a glass of clean water. Even one drop of blood (violence) makes all of the water bloody. Once you bloody the water it takes enormous amounts of clean water without any additional blood to hope to ever again have clean water. And even then, it will never be completely clean.

“I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the
good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.”
- Mohandas Gandhi

There are many reasons why violence doesn’t work in the long run:

Nonviolence works toward a shared community and reconciliation; violence does not support that goal. violence always has a loser who will feel alienated and seek to overturn the other at the earliest opportunity.

Nonviolence works to win the support of people and society; we want people to join us. Whereas violence has the opposite effect -- most people don't want violence in their lives.

A conflict between a Nonviolent group and a violent group is a moral argument; if the Nonviolent group can be provoked into using violence, the violent group wins.

Nonviolence groups are often deliberately infiltrated by members of the violent opposition hoping to dismantle the movement. It is often easy to recognize these infiltrators because they will advocate and provoke violence pretending that violence will lead to justice, but knowing it will cause society to turn against the movement. When we practice Nonviolence, we quickly expose our opponents.

You Can Build A World That Reflects Your Values.Each of our choices in the past -- collectively billions of them every single day -- built the world we live in today. And each of our choices from this moment forward will build the world we live in tomorrow.

The world we live in right now doesn’t reflect what we truly want or need because, in the past, we've been disconnected from ourselves, others and the impact of our choices. We failed to see the connection between those choices and their impact on others. And we failed to align those choices and their impact with our values.

When we connect and each of our choices is true to our values (truth, justice, freedom, kindness, compassion, goodwill toward people, toward the planet and toward animals, etc.), that's when the world will begin to reflect those values.

“One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant
goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal.
We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means."- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

The Nonviolence Compass.Here's some good news -- we're not asking you to become someone different than who you truly are. We're just asking you to connect -- to align your actions with your values.

How do you do this? Use your internal compass of compassion. Each of us has it inside us. For some it's been buried for a long time. But it's there. The compass points to good and to what we, as fundamentally good people, really want.

Use that compass when making choices. Who and what will this choice impact? Is there a better choice?

For example, you could buy an apple sprayed with chemicals. The chemicals were also sprayed on farm workers, wildlife, the land, and into our air and water. Or you could choose the organic apple that supports the small farmer, supports the farm workers, protects wildlife and the environment and keeps your body healthy. That’s a simple, everyday choice that when combined with the everyday choices of millions of caring people can bring about monumental positive change. Think of the combined impact of all of our everyday choices.

“Everyone has inside of him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don't know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!”- Anne Frank

What Can I Do? How To Get Started.Learn About Nonviolence. Study its successes. Understand the power of living your life aligned with your values in order to make this world a better place. You may learn more in our resources.

“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.
If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” - The Dalai Lama

Live A Life Connected.
Living Nonviolence as a way of life is "living a life connected." The process goes something like this:1. Connect with your moral values -- truth, justice, freedom, kindness, compassion, goodwill toward people, toward the planet and toward animals, etc.2. Connect with the impact of your choices. How do your choices impact other people, the planet and animals? 3. Is the impact of your choices in line with your values? Are your choices a vote for human rights, the environment, compassion for animals and Nonviolence? Or do your choices support greed, environmental destruction, cruelty and violence? If the impact of your actions is aligned with your values, do more of the same. If the impact of your choices is not aligned with your values, change your actions so that the impact of those actions aligns with your values.

This process is not always easy. But with practice and as you make more connections, the process will become easier. Nonviolence will become part of your life and new Nonviolence habits will form. When we truly want to build a world reflective of your values -- values of goodness -- we have take personal responsibility and put in the effort. It's simple, it's powerful, and it's in your hands.

Simplify.Live simply so others may simply live. Reject the constant demand to consume at the expense of people, the planet and the animals. Become conscious of the impact your consumption has on others. Imagine the world if billions of people lived exactly as you do. Would it be truly sustainable?

Think critically.A healthy democracy depends wholly on its informed citizenry. An unethical corporate and political monster feeds on the unquestioning. Your daily life and your choices build or dismantle that monster.

Start!Start anywhere, but start! Bring Nonviolence into your life and then offer the gift of Nonviolence at your workplace, to your social justice movement and to your community. Connect with your moral values. Connect with the impact of your choices. Connect with each other.

Every Dollar Is A Vote. Every dollar you spend is a vote. Every time you choose not to buy something it’s a vote. You voted yesterday. You'll vote today -- maybe hundreds of times. Did you vote for human rights, the environment, compassion for animals and Nonviolence? Or did you vote for greed, environmental destruction, cruelty and violence?

What is happening isn’t being done to us; it is being done by us. Social Justice, human rights, the environment and animals are being exploited by industries that are driven by unchecked, unethical, anything-for-a-buck commerce. Our purchasing habits -- what we buy and what we choose not to buy -- drive that system.

An oppressor (whether a government, an industry or an individual) has no power if we don’t give it to them. Let’s stop giving it to them!

When millions of us act in line with our consciences and practice ethical consumerism instead of unethical consumerism, we regain our power and shift the world back in line with our ideals.

“We can re-invent civil disobedience in a million different ways… The corporate revolution will collapse if we refuse to buy what they are selling -- their ideas, their version of history, their wars, their weapons, their notion of inevitability. Remember this: We be many and they be few. They need us more than we need them. Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
- Arundhati Roy

Build The Positive Many people fight against what they oppose. That may be useful, but it can be more productive, more sustainable and more powerful to build the positive. Rethink what you are against and instead stand up for what you are for. Are you against war? Stand up for peace. Are you against cruelty to animals? Stand up for kindness to animals. Are you against slavery? Stand up for fair trade and fair labor.

How do you stand up? Nonviolence as a way of life. Gandhi said, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world.” What that means is that you must live your life as if the Nonviolent world you want was already here. Support only that world -- fair trade, organic, animal-friendly, sustainable, local products, etc. This will build the world you want while dismantling the world you want to change.

“…We don’t have to engage in grand, heroic actions to participate in the process of change. Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world. Even when we don’t ‘win’ there is fun and fulfillment in the fact that we have been involved, with other good people, in something worthwhile. We need hope. An optimist isn’t necessarily a blithe, slightly sappy whistler in the dark of our time. To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places—and there are so many—where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future. The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."
- Howard Zinn

Connection. Making connections will cause a fundamental shift from a society of violence to one of Nonviolence.

Truth. Truth is central to Nonviolence. There’s no need for fear or anger when talking with an opponent when your goal is truth. You can learn from your opponents. You may even learn where your opponent is disconnected and help lead them onto the path of Nonviolence.

Power. An oppressor (whether a government, an industry or an individual) has no power if we don’t give it to them. Stop giving it to them. This is a very basic component of Nonviolence -- non-cooperation with the oppressor.

Action! We must act! The future won’t be just and bright simply because we want it badly enough. We must take personal action and responsibility to do the right thing.

“Talk is cheap… it’s how we organize and live our lives everyday that tells what we believe in.” - Cesar Chavez

Courage. You may have to push yourself beyond the comfort of old habits. This will require strength. You may not always be popular speaking up for truth and acting with compassion. You may face personal attacks and maybe even physical attacks. Nonviolence isn’t always easy, it can be hard work. Stay strong.

Reconciliation. Nonviolence isn’t about winning power over your opponents; it is about attaining a more just society… together. Your fellow humans are not the enemy. The enemy is violence.

Anger Into Hope. You don’t have to strive to eliminate anger. Far from it. It’s only right to be outraged by injustice. Anger provides powerful energy -- use it wisely. Transform your anger into creative Nonviolent ways to be active, focused and more effective. This transformation will help you sustain your energy and your hope.

Love. How can we “love our enemies” when they cause us so much pain? Love in the tradition of Nonviolence doesn’t mean acceptance of an opponent. It doesn’t even mean you have to like your opponent. Love means connecting to the potential of your opponent. It means seeing yourself in your opponent.

We each may remember a time when we were not who we are now. If you sat down and had a conversation with your past self about issues now important to you, you might not even like that past person. If that person was in front of you today, you might even see that person as an opponent.

But what if you hate or dismiss or even hurt your opponent? Will that person have the opportunity to reach their potential? How might you help them? Think how much more powerful it would be to recognize the potential for good in your opponent, to foster their potential and to offer a hand in their reaching that potential. Help them connect. That is love.

For an updated and expanded version of this section, please see A Life Connected.

Fair Trade. Fair Trade ensures that farmers, artisans and other producers in poor countries get a fair price for their goods that covers the cost of production and guarantees a living wage . Fair Trade also encourages environmental responsibility and reinvestment in communities.

Fair Labor. Sweatshops and child labor are a growing problem in the clothing and textiles industries. And popular products like coffee, fruit, chocolate and cut flowers are often grown under brutal labor conditions. Sweatshops exist around the world including the U.S. The cheapest products often come with the greatest human costs. Ask questions, get educated and make the most humane choices.

Organic. There are many reasons to support organic products:

You can help protect people, the environment and animals. Organic products ensure that chemicals are n’t sprayed and dumped on farm workers, on the land and in our waterways. This protects people, the planet and precious wildlife. Pesticides are poisons designed to kill living organisms. They can be harmful to humans causing cancer, birth defects, nerve damage and genetic mutation. Promote health... including your own.

You can support small family farms. Although more and more large scale farms are going organic, most organic farms are still small independent family farms.

You can help save energy. More energy is now used to produce synthetic fertilizers than to till, cultivate, and harvest all the crops in the United States.

Vegan. Vegan foods contain no animal products (meat-free, egg-free and dairy-free). More and more people are choosing a Vegan lifestyle. The reasons are varied and many. They include bettering human health, ending farm worker and factory worker exploitation, ending industrial racism, saving family farms, protecting the environment, ending global warming, ending world hunger, using energy and resources more wisely, conserving land, protecting wildlife, preserving our oceans and waterways, and being kind to animals. Choosing Vegan products helps meet all of these goals in a powerful way.

A Vegan lifestyle expands your circle of compassion to include the meekest among us. It opens your mind and heart to those who rely entirely on your capacity for compassion. The Vegan choice is one of the most far-reaching personal, practical and ethical choices you can make.

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on
Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet."
-Albert Einstein

Renewable Energy. Wars are fought for resources. To build a world that is safe and secure and to preserve the planet for future generations, we need to make Nonviolent energy choices -- solar, wind, wave, geothermal, biofuels and other renewable choices. If these choices aren’t readily available to you, offset some of your energy use by conserving energy and buying “green” energy credits through your utility company.

Recycled. We need to remember that when we throw something away, there is no such thing as “away.” Use less, reuse and recycle. And buy used, reused and recycled products whenever possible.

Tree-Free. Consider using recycled lumber products and paper products whenever possible. Forests are under tremendous pressure from logging for wood and paper products. Paper production can be very harmful to human health and the environment. Consume products with less packaging, use recycled products, recycle what you do use and consider tree-free papers like kenaf and hemp.

Car-Free. Take a bus, ride a train or get on the subway. Better yet walk or ride a bike. Use mass transit and your own energy to get around.

Cruelty-Free. We have the compassion, intelligence and technology to move beyond hurting people or animals for the production of food, clothing, cleaning products and personal products. Industries that make a profit by hurting others do so with the consent and support of those who buy their products. Make the kind choice, buy cruelty-free.

Buy Local. Be the watchdog and champion of local businesses. Buying local supports small businesses, creates local jobs, and keeps more money in your community. You have the opportunity to make sure your local businesses treat people, the planet and animals responsibly. They are members of your community unlike the giant retailers who, with little oversight, crush local businesses, take money from your community, and exploit people, the planet and animals for profit.

“Why is it that things considered good for you and the planet are called alternative?” - Julia Butterfly Hill

Nonviolence For Social Justice Movements >> The Social Justice MountaintopsPicture the peaks of mountains rising above the clouds. Each peak represents a social cause -- the environment, women’s rights, rights for people of color, animal advocacy, workers’ rights, farmers’ rights, other human rights, organics, sustainability, and so much more. Notice the murky haze that lies in the low lands making it appear as if the mountaintops are islands popping up out of the smoky clouds – alone and separate.

Off to one side is a mountaintop of a cause that seems so far away from the mountaintop you’re on. And over there is a mountaintop you’ve visited before, but the people there don’t really interact with the people on your mountaintop. Sometimes it even seems like they speak another language on those other mountaintops. Certainly some of their ideas may seem a little foreign to you.

But now come down off your mountaintop for another perspective. Notice that the murky haze is really a smokescreen -- pumped out in an escalating stream of propaganda, lies and false connections fed by violent industries that rely on our separateness, our fear and our infighting for their own survival.

If you think critically and see through the hazy smokescreen you suddenly realize that we’re not separate after all. We are all part of the same mountain range. Our foothills, our very foundation, are the same. We are connected.

When you come down off your mountaintop you’ll find that our common ground is Nonviolence.

The work you are doing to connect people to the issues on your mountaintop is much like the work that others are doing from their mountaintops. Whether it’s connecting people to other diverse peoples, or connecting people to the planet’s environmental needs, or connecting people to the needs of animals, we are all working to connect.

“Imagine the power of an organized, unified group of millions of people all pulling in the same direction rather than a million different groups all pulling in different directions.”

Nonviolence For Social Justice Movements >> Nonviolence Unites Us. Imagine the power of an organized, unified group of millions of people all pulling together in the same direction rather than a million different groups all pulling in different directions. Imagine adding millions of people to your cause today.

We can try to excite, educate and enlist more people to each individual mountaintop. Or we can do it in a better, faster and more powerful way -- we can recognize our common ground and add millions of people to all of our causes quickly. United we are a force that cannot be stopped.

Nonviolence For Social Justice Movements >> Work Smarter, Not Harder. This isn’t about taking on yet another cause and this isn’t about making your life more complicated. This is about simplifying and focusing your life with Nonviolence. You have choices and they matter. Stop making self-defeating choices. Start making the choices you truly mean to make. Live and work more effectively while supporting those who share your values.

“We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community...Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own."- Cesar Chavez

Nonviolence For Social Justice Movements >> Help Others, Help Yourself.
When you live in line with your values, you help yourself and you help others. By making simple Nonviolent choices in what you or your group buys, what you eat or how you travel, you can end slave labor, empower oppressed people, help small farmers, protect our planet, help animals, put an end to wars for resources and support the other Social Justice mountaintops.

We can all become more aware of how we can support our friends and allies. When we lift up others, we lift up ourselves.

“We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be."- Martin Luther King, Jr.